Ashes of Empires

The Old Orders

At the height of the Golden Age, orders of holy knights worked to keep the peace between kingdoms and ranged far across the known world in search of riches and glory. When the Hand came to the Near Kingdoms, these knights took up arms and fought valiantly but in vain to save the cities that cluster around the shores of the Great Deep Sea. While their ranks were greatly devastated by the decade-long fight against the Hundkin, some remnants of these orders remain in hiding today, quietly recruiting and training in preparation for an eventual uprising against their oppressors. Since they are forced to operate in secret, members of these orders have developed intricate nonverbal means of communication to help identify one another. In place of their traditional tabards, many orders have adopted the use of tattoos, ritual scarring, or brands to mark their members. Since such markings are sure to arouse the suspicion of the Hand, they are usually placed in out-of-the-way parts on the body, where they remain hidden by armor or clothing.

Notable Orders

The Brotherhood of the Eastern Wind

Knights and paladins devoted to the platinum dragon-god Bahamut, the Brotherhood was the largest of its type in the kingdom of Arnassus and featured prominently in the battles for Thornbare and Trestis Fortuna.

The Order of the Thorn

A small but well-regarded order known for the solitary nature of its members, who tended to spread out to serve large areas rather than gathering together and acting as a group.